Gold leaf placing device



Dec. 27, 1966 I w, s 3,294,434

GOLD LEAF PLACING DEVICE Filed Feb. 8, 1965 WILLIAM L. SIN/v F l 6 LINVENTOR.

BY WM AT! Y.

United States Patent 3,294,434 GQLD LEAF PLACING DEVHJE William L. Sinn,25706 Alto Court,

fian Bernardino, Calif. 924% Filed Feb. 8, 1%5, Ser. No. 431,120 4Claims. (Cl. 294-64) This invention relates to means and ways ofpicking-up thin sheets of metallic foil, paper, cloth, etc. In the artof gold lettering upon windows, doors, and other surfaces, the art sanmust pick-up a single sheet of gold leaf, one at a time, and such leavesare extremely thin. The leaves are stacked and heretofore it was notalways easy to lift a single sheet and place it to the work surface.Some sheets were broken and became useless for lettering purposes. Toavoid such a loss, and to speed-up the work, the artisan may takeadvantage of this invenion.

The invention is useful in many fields, trades, and professions forlifting and placing sheets of various materials and of variousthicknesses.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide methods andmeans for readily lifting single thin sheets of material from a stackthereof without in any way damaging the sheet during its transfer andplacement.

Another object is to provide a lifting device for extremely thin sheetsof material, and which device is simple and light in construction, easyto manipulate, and which allows the artisan to be very proficient in hiswork.

Another object is to provide a device for lifting thin sheets ofmaterial wherein the device is economical to make and manufacture and iscapable of giving long dependable service.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a sheet lifting device but whichshows a portion thereof broken away;

FIG. 2 is an elevational side view at substantially right angles to thatshown in FIG. 1

FIG. 3 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical view in sectional form showing some ofthe internal arrangements of the device; but wherein some parts arebroken away;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view, parts broken away, showing a modifiedform of the invention.

Now, with reference to the drawings wherein like parts bear the sameidentifying numerals, there is shown a box or box-like lifter means orunit indicated in general by the reference character 1, and which isattached to a handle means indicated in general by the numeral 2.

The box-like unit or lifter has the vertical side walls or panels 3, 4,5 and 6 joined together along their edges to form a rectangulartunnel-like chamber 7. The front side or face of the lifter or pick-upunit is partially closed by the reticulated fabric or cloth coveringmeans 8 which has its edges folded over the front-side edges of the boxdevice and which gauze or fabric is fastened to the margin about the boxedges by a band of glued tape indicated at 9 which wraps entirely aroundthe box. This gauze may be of any suitable material having intersticesfor passage of gas or air therethrough. This covering may be termed aretainer element and may consist only of a plurality of spaced wires andthe like. The rear side of the unit and chamber 7 is closed by animperforate cover means it) having peripheral side flanges to grip thesides of the box 1 snugly so that the air suction will be along thegauze surface. The cover means 10 is removable so that access can be hadto the chamber 7.

A curved tubular element or handle means 2 is employed to support thebox 1 and this handle means has the top section 11 and the extended gripsection 12. The bottom end of the hollow tube 2 is closed by a suitable3,294,434 Patented Dec. 27, 1966 removable cap 13 of a type which iscommon to portable hand type flashlights. The top tube section has anannular stop flange 14 and a short section 15 which extends through anopening 16 in the box. Tube 11 is held to the box by a friction tightring 17 which is jammed against a resilient washer 13. This frictionring 17 may be, if desirable, provided with threads and screwed onto theouter surface of the end of the short tube section 15 which may also beprovided with threads. In any event, the fit of the ring is tightagainst the washer and the Wall of the box, but not so tight that thetube section 15 cannot be rotated in the opening 16. The reason for thisconstruction is to make the handle 2 adjustable into angular positionsso that the section 12 can be rotated to any desirable angle to suit theartisan or operator of the device. The'section 11 is provided with anoutlet 19 through which air can pass and through the tube from thechamber 7.

In the tube there is fixed in position an electric motor 20 having theattached propeller means 21 which rotates and forces air from chamber 7through the opening or outlet 19. The motor is operated by one or moredry cells, one of which is indicated at 22 located in the handle portionof the tubing. An insulated wire or electrical conductor 23 connects oneelectrical side of the motor to a conductor strip 24 which has its lowerend in electrical contact with the negative side of the bottom dry cellin the usual manner that is common to the construction of flashlightsand the like. Another electrical conductor 25 connects the otherelectrical side of the motor 20 with the button on an arm 26 whichextends from a side of the tube 12. When the positive button on the drycell is in contact with the button on arm 26, and the strip 24 is inelectrical contact with the wire 23, the motor operates and spins thepropeller 21 to force in air through the screen 8 and out through theopening 19.

The above set forth action causes a suction along the screen so thatwhen the screen is placed onto a stack of thin sheets, or thick sheets,the top sheet will be lifted to the screen and held there until thesheet is placed against the surface to which it is to be attached. Foropening the circuit to stop the motor 20, a switch 27 is provided alongthe strip 24. Such switches are common to flashlights in general andneed not be set out in detail.

In the case of placing gold leaf onto surfaces, it is well known thatthe leaf has a positive charge and the surface to be covered has anegative charge (or vice versa) so that when the thin gold sheet nearsthe surface, it automatically attaches itself to the surface due toelectrostatic attraction. However, when other kinds of sheets ofmaterial are involved that have no such attraction for the work surfaceto which it is to be mounted, then a cement or glue is employed. Thepressing of the sheet against a treated surface, such as a stickysubstance or a glue, the sheet will remain in its place when the currentto the motor is discontinued and the lifter removed.

The form of the invention shown in FIG. 5 is substantially the same asthe preferred form shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. However, in this case of thesecond form, the box is substantially, that is, it has a chamber, ascreen, and if Wanted a removable cover. This form has a handle type oftube 31 with a right angled top portion 32 that is attached to or fixedto a flange 33. This flange is fixed to one side wall 34 of the box in asuitable manner and so that the bore or passage 35 of the tube is inalinement with an opening or passage 36 in a wall of the box. A flexibletube 37 is connected to the tube 32, as shown, and the bores of bothtubes are connected so that when air is forced through the tube 37 inthe direction of the arrow, a suction is developed along the screen ofthe box and thus the box can be employed to lift sheets of metal, cloth,paper etc. The distal end of the flexible tube 37, which may be rubber,is designed to be placed in the mouth of the artisan so that the artisancan by drawing air through the tube lift and hold a sheet onto thescreen of the box, or he can easily discharge the sheet by blowing airthrough the tube 37. Obviously, the flexible tube may be connecteddirectly to any convenient portion of the box such as that indicated at38.

Certain novel features and details of this invention are disclosed, andin some cases in considerable detail, in order to make the inventionclear in at least one or more forms thereof. However, it is to beclearly understood that the invention, as disclosed, is not necessarilylimited to the exact form or forms and details disclosed since it isapparent that various modifications and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A lifter means for holding thin leaves or sheets and transferringthem to a surface; the lifter means having a plurality of walls forminga head and enclosing an air chamber, one of the walls having aperforated screen against which a transfer leaf can be held, an openingin another wall of the head, a tube having one end swivelly connected insaid opening and which tube extends laterally with respect to saidscreen, an air exit means associated with said tube, a handle meansconnected to the tube and extending therefrom at an angle, suction meansassociated with the tube so that air can be forced through the screeninto the chamber and hence through the air exit means and thus hold aleaf to the screen until the leaf is released to a suitable surface.

2. The lifter means recited in claim 1 wherein the suction means is amotor-fan unit secured in the tube, and a switch in the handle means forstarting and stopping the motor.

3. The lifter means recited in claim 1 wherein the suction means is asmall flexible pipe means connected to said tube, a distal end of saidpipe means being adapted to enter an operators mouth.

4. The lifter means recited in claim 1 wherein the handle means ishollow and accommodates an electric cell means to provide power to thesuction means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,110,409 9/ 1914Sutherland 29465 1,431,702 10/1922 Smend 294-64 X 2,623,773 12/ 1952Melzer 294-64 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,379,105 10/1964. France.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

G. F. ABRAHAM, Assistant Examiner.

1. A LIFTER MEANS FOR HOLDING THIN LEAVES OR SHEETS AND TRANSFERRINGTHEM TO A SURFACE; THE LIFTER MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF WALLS FORMINGA HEAD AND ENCLOSING AN AIR CHAMBER, ONE OF THE WALLS HAVING APERFORATED SCREEN AGAINST WHICH A TRANSFER LEAF CAN BE HELD, AN OPENINGIN ANOTHER WALL OF THE HEAD, A TUBE HAVING ONE END SWIVELLY CONNECTED INSAID OPENING AND WHICH TUBE EXTENDS LATERALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAIDSCREEN, AN AIR EXIT MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TUBE, A HANDLE MEANSCONNECTED TO THE TUBE AND EXTENDING THEREFROM AT AN ANGLE, SUCTION MEANSASSOCIATED WITH THE TUBE SO THAT AIR CAN BE FORCED THROUGH THE SCREENINTO THE CHAMBER AND HENCE THROUGH THE AIR EXIT MEANS AND THUS HOLD ALEAF TO THE SCREEN UNTIL THE LEAF IS RELEASED TO A SUITABLE SURFACE.